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A PG-13 can't get much more "R" than this. At least 27 murders and enough violence to choke an enraged badger.

Salt is R-equivalent in everything but Sexual Immorality (S) and Drugs/Alcohol (DO. It is PG-13 equivalent in Drugs/Aocohol (D) and solid G-equivalent in Sexual Immorality (S).

Salt is another spy flick but this time without Sean Connery and without the "007" and it is based on this side of the big pond in the Big Apple. Angelina Jolie offers a strikingly different dimension to the spy genre as Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who plays both sides of the fence but one side more than the other. Or is it that she has found a third side of the fence to play? Her partner, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber) also plays both sides of the fence. Is there no one in the CIA who does not play both sides of the fence? You'll see ... if you watch this extraordinarily violent flick.

Conditioned as a child, Salt is programmed to serve her Russian programmer. Her program is to destroy America from within. But fast forward to the present, Salt is one of the most intelligent and most effective agents of the CIA force. Pretending to work for some company Salt is captured by the North Koreans and is brutally tortured to admit she is a spy until her husband, Mike Krause (August Diehl) hounds US authorities enough for them to submit to an exchange.

With Salt back on staff in New York, a Russian defector, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) appears with news that the Russian President, Matveyev (Olek Krupa), in New York to attend the funeral of his friend the US Vice President, is going to be assassinated by Russian KA Agent Chenkov. And he reveals who is Chenkov.

I'll not tell you who Chenkov turns out to be because it would spoil too much of the plot should you opt to watch this movie (but I will tell you Salt saves the world from nuclear annihilation). Now to the main reason most of you visit our pages - the truth about the content.

Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100
This film presents at least 50 instances of violence per hour, nearly once per minute, often many in a minute. There is no doubt the violence content is equivalent to the violence content of most R-rated films. Beatings. Assaults. Torture. Frequent action violence of varying intensities. Daredevil antics. Gunfire to kill. Dead bodies galore. Though the blood does not flow that much and the guts of a victim are not splattered on the wall by bullets, the magnitude of the total package is clearly equivalent to the content of almost any R-rated film. The MPAA has it wrong again thinking that editing out the blood and guts makes the film more acceptable for the teen crowd. remember what we have been telling you for years now -- that it is not so much the act of violence that influences the young mind as much as the attitude portrayed by the perpetrator: that one who, for example, shoots a victim expresses cold arrogance and even lust in the killing is more damaging to the observer than seeing a couple actors "kill" each other. Watching a bullet drill a hole in a body is damaging enough but seeing the attitude of the shooter can be more damaging.

You've probably seen me apply Prov. 16:29 to violence over and over and you will probably see it again if you continue to utilize our services, but the perfect fit of Prov 16:29 to such cinematic display is timeless. Especially since the American professional health community has finally agreed with God whether they know it or not.

Impudence/Hate (I) - 28 out of 100
The full gambit of profanity is used in this film. Oratory humility is absent. Someone utters some form of profanity 12 times plus the most foul of the foul words at least twice. God advises us that corrosive speech is inadvisable [Prov. 8:13] since there is a consequence for using it and especially for causing our youth to speak likewise [Luke 17:2, Matt. 25:40]

Sexual Immorality (S) - 93 out of 100
The only issues of sexual nature are some of the first scenes with Jolie in underwear ... and blood and when she removed her panties to cover a surveillance camera lens. While "nothing" is seen these displays still drew attention to the private parts of the female body. Note that many of the sexually oriented scenes in the trailer were not in the movie.

Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 67 out of 100
A pack of cigarettes was offered to the Russian defector. Once scene during the search for Salt's husband displayed a bottle of beer. But the strongest display of alcohol and drinking of it was as the Russians celebrated with booze, ostensibly vodka. To celebrate with booze is dangerous in and as entertainment since it places drinking in a positive light, a matter advised against by the American College of physicians.

The 2002 study by the American College of Physicians (ACP) revealed that adolescent exposure to drinking in and as entertainment undeniably leads to abuse of alcohol among underage viewers. The finding entitled Relation Between Parental Restrictions on Movies and Adolescent Use of Tobacco and Alcohol reports that of 4544 youths from grades 5 through 8 of fifteen Vermont and New Hampshire middle schools (90% of the youths were under fourteen years old) only 16% were completely restricted in their entertainment diets. Within the ACP study population, the prevalence of having tried alcohol without parental knowledge was

• 46% for those with no viewing restrictions
• 16% for those with partial viewing restrictions
• four percent for those with complete viewing restrictions. [Eph. 5:18, Luke 1:15, Prov. 20:1]

Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100
Not only does God warn against excess with alcohol AND against enticing youth with it, He strongly warns about using His name in vain in Deut. 5:11. This film uses His name in vain 12 times, seven with the four letter expletive. "In vain." What does that mean? "Vain" is shav {shawv}: emptiness, nothingness, vanity, such as an expletive. With or without the four letter expletive, the use of God's name in any way other than in prayer, with respect or reverence or in responsible discussion is in vain. That includes the popular three syllable sentence with His name trailing it AND the misuse of Jesus' name or title. So, trying to excuse such expressions with "I was talking TO God/Jesus/Christ when I said that" or "It's just words" or "I was acting" or "I was quoting" will not work with God.

While God's name was spoken in vain many times, there were no noted instances of occultism, cultism, witchcraft, sorcery or the like.

Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100
Murder? Yes. At least 27 times.

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SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S)
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CHAPTER/VERSE

Prov. 16:29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. [The issue is the violence, the 'way that is not good' no matter how "small" or "justified" the violence might seem, and its "leading" effect on the observer. "A violent man" ["man" here is enowsh {en-oshe"}: man (collective), mortal, person, mankind; contracted for iysh {eesh}: whosoever, each] can be any character of any age, any gender, human or not since the cinematic display is at the hands men and women, in the act of committing (demonstrating in the case of entertainment) violent behavior/action whether for good or evil or the violent behaviors/actions themselves. Such exposure can and does embolden the viewer into aggression, especially youth. It took years for American professional health community to finally affirm, probably without knowing it, that which God told us in 1 Cor. 15:33 below. See also Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children: Congressional Public Health Summit for more information. Further, God speaks darkly of violence 56 times in the Old and New Testament of the KJV.]

Matt. 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto [or for] one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto [or for] me.

Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. [Speaking is the angel that appeared to Zechariah, promising Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth a son - John the Baptist, but it also says that not drinking alcoholic beverages at all will find favor in the eyes of the Lord. Though it is not a sin to drink, God knows of our tendency to excess. And the "strong drink" of Jesus' day was less potent than our cheap wine. What does that say about our liquor of up to 75% alcohol?]

Prov. 20:1 Wine [beer, mixed wine, any intoxicating substance] is a mocker [to make scorn, make mouths at, talk arrogantly], strong drink [pure wine in the Bible days] is raging [cause to be disquieted, be in an uproar]: and whosoever is deceived thereby [caused to go astray by it, believes otherwise] is not wise. [If alcoholic beverages in entertainment were not a problem for our young, why would there be and why has there been such a push to get and keep booze commercials off prime time broadcast TV? Now there is a paradox! Why would we as intelligent beings try to keep booze off prime time TV but yet allow it in and as movie content?]

Eph. 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. [Since "drunk" is methusko {meth-oos'-ko}: to intoxicate; make drunk; to get drunk; become intoxicated, "wine" can be any intoxicating substance including illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs. The issue is do not abuse the body by intoxicating it [1 Cor. 6:19]. Though it is not a sin to drink, it is a sin to get drunk OR to influence to get drunk OR to drink in defiance such as underage drinking.]

1 Cor. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Deut. 5:11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.

***Selected Scriptures of Armour against the influence of the entertainment industry***

Jer. 37:9 This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, 'The Babylonians [the destroyers from within] will surely leave us.' They will not!

Ps. 12:8 The wicked freely strut about [e.g., create progressively vile/offensive entertainment with impunity and no consequences and present it to younger and younger audiences every year] when what is vile is honored among men [when enough people continue to defend it, embrace it, enjoy it, want it, submit to it. I call attention to Ps. 12:8 to warn of the creeping desensitizing power of "entertainment."]

Col. 2:8 Beware lest any man [by his influence] spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

1 Cor. 15:33 Be not deceived: evil [kakov: of a bad nature, not such as it ought to be] communications corrupt good manners.

Rom. 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Jude 1:4 For there are certain men* crept in unawares [secretly slipped in among us], who were before of old ordained to this condemnation [whose condemnation was written about long ago], ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness [a license for immorality], and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. [*men: anthropos {anth'-ro-pos}, generic, a human being, whether male or female]

Matt. 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Luke 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. [Offend: skandalizo {skan-dal-id'-zo} - scandalize; to entice to sin; to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey; to cause to fall away.]

Ps. 119:133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me [let no sin rule over me].

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1 Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. ["Evil" includes all things that are sinful.]

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As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie.

FINDINGS / SCORING:

(The objective heart of the CAP Analysis Model, independent of and insulated from the Summary / Commentary section.)

Wanton Violence/Crime (W) - Zero out of 100

images of beating & torture gore

images of brutality aftermath

suggestion of child murder to provide substitute

action violence, frequent, of varying intensities

firearms for assault/control, repeatedly

gunfire to disable equipment and to kill, frequent

theft of sidearm

high altitude peril, repeatedly

reckless driving to pursue/escape, repeatedly

motor vehicle theft

long sequences of illegal flight to avoid lawful prosecution, repeatedly

vandalism to enable theft

bloody injury, repeatedly

personal arsenal

physical assault, sometimes brutal, on police personnel, frequent

child with multiple facial injuries

reports of widespread civil unrest

dead body, repeatedly

planning murder

long fight sequence

Impudence/Hate (I) - 28 out of 100

irresponsibility in traffic, repeatedly

12 uses of profanity

three uses of the most foul of the foul words

soliciting help in a dangerous maneuver from a child

Sexual Immorality (S) - 93 out of 100

woman in underwear

woman removing underwear

Drugs/Alcohol (D) - 7967 out of 100

pack of cigarettes

drinking, by several, twice

booze

Offense to God (O) - Zero out of 100

five uses of God's name without the four letter expletive and seven with it

Murder/Suicide (M) - Zero out of 100

25 counted murders, with possibly more

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There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings.

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